Denver, Colorado (KUSA) - The Weld County Sheriff's Office in Colorado is investigating allegations of animal abuse at a livestock company, after an activist secretly recorded workers tossing, kicking and dragging newborn calves.

A non-profit group called Compassion Over Killing posted the video of the Quanah Cattle Company on its website. The group tries to expose animal abuses in the meat production industry, in part, to promote vegetarianism.

"They are keeping these cruelties hidden behind closed doors," said Erica Meier, executive director of Compassion Over Killing. "We believe consumers have a right to know."

Quanah Cattle Company buys newborn calves from dairy farms, keeps them temporarily in their Kersey facility, then ships them to other cattle companies where they are raised and sold for meat.

The calves "come to this facility, in many cases, too frightened or feeble to walk steadily," Meier said. Most of the video released shows workers forcing the calves into and out of livestock trucks. Some of the video shows what appears to be dead calves, with at least one decomposing. Meier says the video was recorded over a three month period this summer.

Compassion Over Killing also gave the video to the Weld County Sheriff's Office, which is now investigating it as a possible animal cruelty case. The Colorado Department of Agriculture is assisting the investigation.

"As soon as I saw the video, I jumped in my pickup," said Robert Hodgen, a Quanah manager. "I drove out here, and I started the investigation. It appalled me as much as it has anyone else who has seen the video. It's not how we want to conduct ourselves."

Hodgen says he will cooperate with authorities.

"We are doing everything we can to take swift and immediate action," he said.